PHP CURL REST API Example: Understanding HTTP Verbs and Options

When it comes to building RESTful APIs, understanding how to use PHP's CURL library effectively is crucial. In this article, we will explore the various options and verbs available in the CURL library, providing a comprehensive example of how to use them.

HTTP Verbs in CURL

The CURL library provides four convenience methods for making HTTP requests: `get()`, `post()`, `put()`, and `delete()`. These methods can be used to make requests using the corresponding HTTP verbs. For instance, calling `api->get('search/tweets')` would send a GET request to the specified URL.

Customizing Requests with Options

In addition to the convenience methods, CURL provides several options that can be customized to suit your needs. These options include:

* Method: The HTTP verb to use for the request. This option is required when making a custom request using the `execute()` method.

* Headers: An associative array of headers to include with the request.

* Parameters: A string or associative array of parameters to be appended to the URL in GET requests, or passed in the request body on all others.

* Url: The URL of the resource being requested.

Example Usage

Here is an example of how you can use CURL to make a GET request:

```php

$api = new CURL('https://api.example.com');

$api->get('search/tweets', array(

'parameters' => array(

'q' => 'example',

'count' => 10,

));

```

This code would send a GET request to `https://api.example.com/search/tweets`, with the query parameters `q=example` and `count=10`.

Setting Options

CURL also provides several options that can be set to customize the behavior of your requests. These options include:

* User_agent: The user agent string to use in requests.

* Base_url: The base URL to use for all requests.

* Format: A format string appended to the resource on request, used to determine which decoder to use on response.

* Formatters: An associative array of format decoders.

In this article, we have explored the various options and verbs available in PHP's CURL library, providing a comprehensive example of how to use them. By customizing requests with options and using convenience methods, you can build powerful RESTful APIs that meet your specific needs.

Php curl rest api example